Essential Makeup - Beginners Guide

All that a makeup beginner needs to unlock their artistry is the right tools – as well as a bit of guidance. This is our ultimate guide on how to apply makeup for beginners looking to create a seamless, obtainable beauty routine.   

What Makeup Products Do Beginners Actually Need to Get Started?

Starting makeup for beginners takes a short list of products and a little guidance, not a full vanity. Once you know the basics, explore the Face collection and build your kit one piece at a time.

For a complete look, most beginners want these nine items:

1. Primer
2. Foundation
3. Concealer
4. Eyebrow Pencil & Gel
5. Eyeshadow Palette & Eyeshadow Artistry Stick
6. Mascara & Eyeliner
7. Bronzer & Highlighter
8. Blush
9. Lip Gloss & Liner

If you can only buy two tools to start, choose a foundation brush and a fluffy blush brush. They handle your base and your cheeks, the two steps that shape a finished look.

Feeling overwhelmed? Here is a step-by-step routine that walks you through each product in order.

Step 1: Primer

Good makeup starts with prepped skin. Cleanse, apply a moisturizer suited to your skin type, and let it absorb for a few minutes. Reach for a lightweight gel on oily skin and a richer cream on dry skin.

Primer comes next. It smooths your skin so makeup adheres evenly and lasts through the day. Skipping it is one of the most common beginner mistakes.

How Do I Apply Primer the Right Way Before Putting On Makeup?

Start with well-moisturized skin that has fully absorbed. Dispense primer onto your fingertips, then press and smooth a thin, even layer across your face. Focus a little extra on your T-zone if you get shine there.

Pro Tip: Wait a minute after moisturizer so your primer grips rather than slides.

Step 2: Foundation

A good foundation blurs uneven tone and gives the rest of your products a smooth base. For a skin-but-better finish, beginners do well with a cream or liquid formula, since both are forgiving and easy to blend. Choose a dewy formula for dry skin and a lighter, longer-wearing formula for oily skin.

The Major Skin Crème Foundation & Finishing Powder Duo blends into the skin, softens pores, and leaves a natural, dewy finish. If you want coverage with skincare benefits, the Major Skin Hydra-Luxe Luminous Skin Perfecting Foundation is a lightweight formula that hydrates while giving a radiant finish.

Match your shade at the jawline in natural light, never under store lighting or on the back of your hand. A shade that melts into your jaw and neck reads most natural.

What's the Best Way to Apply Foundation for a Natural, Flawless Finish?

Buff the foundation into primed skin with a foundation brush, working in thin layers. Build coverage only where you need it, so your skin still looks like skin. Dust the finishing powder over oil-prone areas like your nose and forehead to set them.

Pro Tip: Applying too much at once is what makes makeup look cakey. Add product gradually and press it in rather than piling it on.

Step 3: Concealer

Whether you want to mask blemishes or brighten dark circles, a concealer will target any problem spots that foundation alone may not completely cover up. 

Concealer targets the spots foundation alone leaves behind, from blemishes to under-eye shadows. A shade that matches your skin covers blemishes best, while a shade one step lighter brightens under the eyes.

How Do I Apply Concealer to Cover Dark Circles and Blemishes?

To cover a blemish, pick up a small amount on a concealer brush and gently dab it over the spot, then blend the edges into your skin. For dark circles, dot concealer in an inverted triangle under each eye, then blend with a damp beauty sponge or brush.

Pro Tip: Set under-eye concealer with a whisper of powder so it stays put and doesn't crease.

Step 4: Eyebrow Pencil & Gel

Brows are often forgotten about, but they can truly make or break your look. They frame your eyes and balance your face – so honing in on the art of brows is a must. 

Brows frame your eyes and balance your face, so a few minutes here changes your whole look. Two products keep them polished all day: the Major Brow Defining Pencil and Major Brow Lamination Gel.

How Do I Fill In and Shape My Eyebrows for a Polished Look?

Set: Brush the Major Brow Lamination Gel up through the hairs until each one is coated, press them into shape with the back of the applicator, and let them dry for a minute or two. Fill: Use the Major Brow Defining Pencil to draw short strokes through sparse areas, following the direction your hairs grow.

Pro Tip: A light hand reads more natural. Fill only the gaps rather than drawing a solid line.

Step 5: Eyeshadow Palette

As a beginner, master a soft, blended neutral eye before anything bold. A nude-focused palette like Major Dimension III gives you richly pigmented matte shades in warm and cool tones that work together for everyday looks.

What's the Best Way to Apply Eyeshadow for Beginners?

Sweep a light shade across your whole lid with an eyeshadow brush to set a base. Then pick up a darker shade, start at the center of your lash line, and blend outward toward the outer corner for dimension. Build slowly, since a little shadow goes a long way.

What's the Easiest Way to Blend a Neutral Eyeshadow Look?

As a beginner, master a soft, blended neutral eye before anything bold. A nude-focused palette like Major Dimension III gives you richly pigmented matte shades in warm and cool tones that work together for everyday looks.

What's the Best Way to Apply Eyeshadow for Beginners?

Sweep a light shade across your whole lid with an eyeshadow brush to set a base. Then pick up a darker shade, start at the center of your lash line, and blend outward toward the outer corner for dimension. Build slowly, since a little shadow goes a long way.

Step 6: Eyeliner

Liner and mascara make your eyes look more awake. Mascara adds volume and length to your lashes, while liner defines your lash line and gives the eyes more shape.

How Do I Apply Eyeliner for a Defined, Eye-Opening Look?

Using the Major Dimension Precision Gel Liner, draw a thin line along the outer third of your upper lash line. Keep it close to the lashes for a defined look that opens the eye. Finish with a coat of mascara, wiggling the wand from root to tip.

Step 7: Bronze & Highlight

Bronzer and highlighter add warmth and radiance. Beginners often confuse bronzer with contour: bronzer warms the high points where the sun hits, while contour sculpts shadow into the hollows. Start with bronzer, since it is more forgiving, and add contour once placement feels natural.

The Major Sculpt Crème Contour & Powder Bronzer Duo pairs a cream and a powder so you can layer for lasting warmth. This is Patrick's cream-over-powder layering technique in action: stamp the cream contour along your cheekbones, jaw, and the sides of your nose first, then press the powder bronzer over the top to lock it in.

How Do I Contour and Highlight My Face for a Sculpted Glow?

Stamp: Work the cream contour into your skin with a contour brush along your cheekbones, under your jaw, beside your nose, and across your temples. Warm: Layer the powder bronzer over those same areas with a bronzer brush. Glow: Spray the Major Glow Highlighting Mist along your cheekbones and temples to finish.

Pro Tip: Keep highlighter on the high points where light naturally hits, opposite your contour, so the two create contrast.

Step 8: Blush

Blush brings your face back to life with a healthy flush. The Major Headlines Double-Take Crème & Powder Blush Duo pairs both textures so your color stays put and looks lit from within.

What's the Best Way to Apply Blush So It Looks Natural and Glowy?

Transition Blush is Patrick's answer to the blend that never quite disappears. It works as the first and last step of your blush routine: a brightening liquid pressed into the inner corners of the eyes before color goes on, then a sheer blurring powder swept over the top to soften the line between concealer and blush. Layer them around your Major Headlines Blush Duo and the result is a gradient instead of a stripe, brightened where the light hits and diffused everywhere else. Brighten, blush, blur.

Alternate anchors if you want a deeper link instead of the hub:

• Liquid Transition Brightening Blush for step one
• Transition Blurring Blush Duo for step three
• Patrick's 3-Step Blush System if the snippet is meant to drive a bundle purchase

Follow Patrick's viral cream-over-powder blush technique. Sweep the powder blush across the apples of your cheeks with a fluffy blush brush. Then press the cream blush on top with a denser brush for a dewy, natural glow. Smile as you apply so you land the color on the fullest part of your cheeks.

Step 9: Lip Gloss & Liner

Lips finish the look. A liner keeps your gloss in place and adds definition to your pout, while a gloss adds color and shine.

How Do I Apply Lip Liner and Gloss for a Finished, Defined Pout?

Choose a lip liner that matches your gloss. Line the outer edges of your upper and lower lips with short strokes. Top with a gloss like the Major Volume Plumping Gloss, which plumps and hydrates for a soft, pouty finish.

Once your look is complete, lock it in. A light mist of setting spray melts powder into skin and keeps everything wearing through the day. With a short kit and these steps, a polished routine is within reach, even on your first try.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How long should a beginner makeup routine take?
Plan for about ten to fifteen minutes at first, and expect it to shrink as your hands get faster. Focus on your base and cheeks, which give the biggest payoff in the least time.

How do you take a beginner daytime look into the evening?

1. Blend a darker neutral shade into the outer corner of your eyes to deepen them.
2. Add a second layer of blush and a touch more warmth across the high points of your face.
3. Swap your gloss for a bolder shade or add liner to sharpen the look.

How do you find your undertone to pick the right shades?

1. Check the veins on your wrist: blue-purple suggests a cool undertone, green suggests warm, and a mix suggests neutral.
2. Notice your jewelry, since silver tends to flatter cool tones and gold flatters warm ones.
3. Choose your base, cheek, and lip shades in that same family so everything reads natural together.

Should beginners choose a dewy or matte finish?
Choose based on your skin: dewy finishes flatter dry or normal skin and give a lit-from-within glow, while matte finishes help oily skin stay shine-free longer. You can also wear a dewy base and mattify only your T-zone.

How do you remove your makeup at the end of the day?
Start with an oil-based cleanser or micellar water to dissolve your makeup, then follow with your regular face wash to clean the skin underneath. Finish with moisturizer so your skin is prepped for tomorrow.